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DeVore, J., Richardson, L., Hofmann, H.A., Muth, F., (2026) Bumblebees use and repair artificial honeypots. Accepted to Current Biology.

Pimplikar, S., Hemingway, C.T., Jha, S., & Muth, F. (2026) Sucrose responsiveness is associated with foraging specialization in honeybees but not bumblebees. Accepted to Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology.

Richardson, L., Jha, S., Jernigan, C.M.*, Muth, F.* (co-last authorship) (2026) Bumblebee queens differ in brain morphology but not learning performance across life stages. Journal of Experimental Biology 229 (9): jeb252295. https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.252295 pdf.

Kimball, M. & Muth, F. (2026). Bumblebee queens are better at olfactory learning and more sensitive to scents than workers. Proceedings of the Royal Society: B. 293: 20252857. https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2025.2857 pdf.

Muth, F., Fischer, E. K., & Nityananda, V. (2025). Bumblebees as a powerful model for studying cognitive ecology. Trends in Cognitive Sciences. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tics.2025.11.006 pdf.

Richardson, L.I., DeVore, J., Siviter, H., Jha, S.*, Muth, F.* (co-last authorship) (2025). Bumblebees exposed to a novel ‘bee‑safe’ insecticide have impaired alloparental care and reproductive output. Insects Sociaux. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00040-025-01054-w

Muth, F. (2025). Felicity Muth Q&A. Current Biology, 35(15), R742–R743. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2025.07.016 pdf.

MacNeill, F.T., Hunter, S.G., Muth, F.† & Sedio, B. (co-last authorship) (2025). Nectar metabolomes contribute to pollination syndromes. New Phytologist. 247: 951–967 https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.70217

Hemingway, C. T., DeVore, J., Muth, F. (2024) Economic foraging in a floral marketplace: Asymmetrically dominated decoy effects in bumblebees. Proceedings of the Royal Society: B. 291:20240843. https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2024.0843 pdf

Siviter, H., DrVore, J., Gray, L.K., Ivers, N.A., Lopez, E.A., Riddington, I.M., Stuligross, C., Jha, S., Muth, F., (2024). A novel pesticide has lethal consequences for an important pollinator, Science of The Total Environment, 952, 175935. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.175935 pdf.

Hemingway, C. T., Leonard, A. S., MacNeill, F. T., Pimplikar, S., & Muth, F. (2024). Pollinator cognition and the function of complex rewards. Trends in Ecology & Evolution. 39 (11), P1047-1058. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.TREE.2024.06.008 pdf.

Richardson, L. I., Siviter, H., Jha, S.*, Muth, F. * (co-last authorship) (2024). Field- realistic exposure to the novel insecticide flupyradifurone reduces reproductive output in a bumblebee (Bombus impatiens). Journal of Applied Ecology. 00, 1-12. https://doi-org.ezproxy.lib.utexas.edu/10.1111/1365-2664.14706 pdf.

Strang, G.C.†, Rondeau, S. † (co-first authorship), Baert, N., McArt, S., Raine, N.E. ‡, Muth, F. ‡ (co-last authorship) (2024). Field agrochemical exposure impacts locomotor activity in wild bumblebees. Ecology. 105 (6), e4310. https://doi.org/10.1002/ecy.4310 pdf.

Hemingway, C., Pimplikar, S., Muth, F. (2024). Wild bumblebees use both absolute and relative evaluation when foraging. Behavioral Ecology. 35, 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1093/beheco/arad112 pdf.

Fisher, A., Tadei, R., Berenbaum, M., Nieh, J., Siviter, H., Crall, J., Glass, J., Muth, F., Liao, L., Traynor, K., DesJardins, N., Nocelli, R., Simon-Delso, N., Harrison, J.F. (2023). Breaking the cycle: Reforming pesticide regulation to protect pollinators, BioScience. biad088, https://doi.org/10.1093/biosci/biad088. pdf.

Muth, F. (2023). Bumblebees show capacity for behavioral traditions. Learning & Behavior. Outlook article. Online ahead of print. https://doi.org/10.3758/s13420-023-00594-0 pdf.

Strang, C. & Muth, F. (2023). Judgment bias may be explained by shifts in stimulus response curves. Royal Society Open Science. 10: 221322. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.221322 link.

Siviter, H., Linguadoca, A., Ippolito, A., Muth, F. (2023) Pesticide licensing in the EU and protecting pollinators. Current Biology. 33: R44-R48. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2022.12.002. pdf.

Siviter, H., Pardee, G.L., Baert, N., McArt, S. Jha, S.* & Muth, F.* *co-last authorship (2023) Wild bees are exposed to low levels of pesticides in urban grasslands and community gardens. Science of the Total Environment. 858: 159839. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.159839. pdf.

Muth, F., Breslow, E., Leonard, A.S. (2023) Octopamine affects gustatory responsiveness and associative learning performance in bumble bees. Apidologie 54: 9. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13592-023-00992-3. link.

Muth, F., Philbin, C.S. (co-first author), Jeffrey, C.S, Leonard, A.S. (2022) Discovery of octopamine and tyramine in nectar and their effects on bumblebee behavior. iScience. 104765 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.isci.2022.104765. Open Access.

Siviter, H. & Muth, F. (2022) Exposure to the novel insecticide flupyradifurone impairs bumblebee feeding motivation, learning, and memory retention. Environmental Pollution. 307: 119575. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2022.119575 pdf.

Hemingway, C.T. & Muth, F. (2022) Label-based expectations affect incentive contrast effects in bumblebees. Biology Letters. 18: 20210549. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2021.0549 pdf.

Siviter, H., Richman, S.K., Muth, F. (2021) Field-realistic neonicotinoid exposure has sub-lethal effects on non-Apis bees: A meta-analysis. Ecology Letters. 24: 2586-2597. http://doi.org/10.1111/ele.13873 pdf.

Siviter, H., Johnson, A.K., Muth, F. (2021) Bumblebees exposed to a neonicotinoid pesticide make sub-optimal foraging decisions. Environmental Entomology. 50: 1299-1303 https://doi.org/10.1093/ee/nvab087 pdf.

Muth, F. (2021) Intra-specific differences in cognition: Bumblebee queens learn better than workers. Biology Letters. 17: 20210280. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2021.0280 pdf.

Fisher, A. & 14 Signatories (2021) Protect pollinators-reform pesticide regulations. Nature Correspondence. 595: 172. https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-021-01818-x pdf.

Richman, S.K., Muth, F. & Leonard, A.S. (2021) Measuring foraging preferences in bumble bees: a comparison of popular laboratory methods and a test for sucrose preferences following neonicotinoid exposure. Oecologia. 196: 963-976. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-021-04979-8 pdf.

Muth, F., Tripodi, A.D., Bonilla, R. Strange, J.P., Leonard, A.S. (2021) No sex differences in learning in wild bumblebees. Behavioral Ecology. 32: 638-645. https://doi.org/10.1093/beheco/arab013. pdf.

Siviter, H. & Muth, F. (2020) Do novel insecticides pose a threat to beneficial insects? Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. 287: 20201265. https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2020.1265. pdf.

Muth, F., Gaxiola RL, Leonard AS. (2020) No evidence for neonicotinoid preferences in the bumblebee Bombus impatiens. Royal Society Open Science. 7: 191883. http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rsos.191883 . Open Access.

Muth, F., Francis, J.S. & Leonard, A.S. (2019) Modality-specific impairment of learning by a neonicotinoid pesticide. Biology Letters. 15: 20190359. http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2019.0359. pdf.

Francis, J.S., Acevedo C.R., Muth, F. & Leonard, A.S. (2019) Nectar quality changes the ecological cost of chemically defended pollen. Current Biology 29, R663–R682. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2019.05.046 pdf.

Muth, F. & Leonard, A.S. (2019) A neonicotinoid pesticide impairs foraging, but not learning, in free-flying bumblebees. Scientific Reports, 9: 4764. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-39701-5 Open Access.

Muth, F., Breslow, P. R., Masek, P., & Leonard, A. S. (2018) A pollen fatty acid enhances learning and survival in bumblebees. Behavioral Ecology, 29, 1371–1379 https://doi.org/10.1093/beheco/ary111 pdf

Barker, J.L., Dornhaus, A., Bronstein, J.L., Muth, F. (2018) Learning about larceny: experience can bias bumble bees to rob nectar. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology. 72:68.  https://doi.org/10.1007/s00265-018-2478-6  pdf

Pritchard, D.J., Tello-Ramos, M.C., Muth, F., Healy, S.D. (2017) Treating hummingbirds as feathered bees: a case of ethological cross-pollination. Biology Letters. 13: 20170610. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2017.0610  pdf

Muth, F., Cooper, T., Bonilla, R.F. & Leonard, A.S. (2017) A novel protocol for studying bee cognition in the wild. Methods in Ecology and Evolution. 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1111/2041-210X.12852 pdf

  • Video describing this paper - with tips for people wanting to try this method!

Muth, F. Papaj, D.R. & Leonard, A.S. (2017) Multiple rewards have asymmetric effects on learning in bumblebees. Animal Behaviour 126, 123–133. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2017.01.010 pdf 

Muth, F., Francis, J.S. & Leonard, A.S. (2016) Bees use the taste of pollen to determine which flowers to visit. Biology Letters, 12, 20160356. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2016.0356 pdf. 

Francis, J.S., Muth, F., Papaj, D.R. & Leonard, A.S. (2016) Nutritional complexity and the structure of bee foraging bouts. Behavioral Ecology. 27, 903–911. https://doi.org/10.1093/beheco/arv229 pdf

Muth, F., Papaj, D.R. & Leonard, A.S. (2016). Bees remember flowers for more than one reason: Pollen mediates associative learning. Animal Behaviour 111, 93-100. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2015.09.029 pdf

​Muth, F., Papaj, D.R. & Leonard, A.S. (2015). Colour learning when foraging for nectar and pollen: Bees learn two colours at once. Biology Letters 11, 20150628.​ https://doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2015.0628 pdf

Muth, F., Keasar, T. & Dornhaus, A.  (2015) Trading off short-term costs for long-term gains: How do bumblebees decide to learn morphologically complex flowers? Animal Behaviour 101, 191-199. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lmot.2014.10.007 pdf
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​Muth, F., Scampini, A. & Leonard, A.S. (2015) The effects of acute stress on learning and memory in bumblebees. Learning and Motivation, 50, 39-47. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2014.12.024 pdf

Bailey, I.E., Muth, F., Morgan, K., Meddle, S.L. & Healy, S.D. (2015) Birds build camouflaged nests. The Auk: Ornithological Advances, 132: 11-15. https://doi.org/10.1642/AUK-14-77.1

Muth, F. & Healy, S.D.  (2014) Zebra finches select nest material appropriate for a building task. Animal Behaviour 90, 237-244. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0003347214000931  pdf

Muth, F., Steele, M. & Healy, S.D. (2013) Colour preferences in nest-building zebra finches. Behavioural Processes 99, 106-111. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.beproc.2013.07.002 pdf

Boogert, N.J., Arbilly, M., Muth, F. & Seed, A.M. (2013) Do crows reason about causes or agents? The devil is in the controls PNAS Letter 110(4), E273-E273, https://doi.org/doi:10.1073/pnas.1219664110. ​

Muth, F. & Healy, S.D.  (2012)  Zebra finches build nests that do not resemble their natal nest. Avian Biology Research 5, 218-226. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.3184/175815512X13531725598475  pdf

Muth, F. & Healy, S.D. (2011) The role of adult experience in nest building in the zebra finch, Taeniopygia guttata. Animal Behaviour 82 (2): 185-189. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2011.04.021 pdf

Other academic publications

Muth, F. (2018) "All for one and one for all" - Box for a book chapter in "Field and Laboratory Methods in Animal Cognition: A Comparative Guide", editors: Nereida Bueno-Guerra, Federica Amici, Cambridge University Press.